June 24, 2003
By Verashni Pillay and Tshepiso Mogotsi
A CANDLE symbolising the light at the end of the tunnel was lit at the official opening of 16 new HIV/Aids counselling centres capable of dealing with 144 000 people in Ivory Park, Midrand, on Friday 19 June.
Speaking at the official opening of the City of Johannesburg's Voluntary Counselling and Testing Centres, Health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa said the candle indicated that the battle against HIV/Aids could be won.
The centres, situated within disadvantaged communities, offer free HIV/Aids testing and counselling. A coordinator, who administers the blood tests, and three volunteers, who have been trained to provide the appropriate counselling services, operate in each of the centres.
Ramokgopa welcomed the city's initiative, describing it as a breakthrough in the fight against HIV/Aids. She encouraged the residents of Ivory Park to use the centres frequently to find out their HIV status.
"More than 50 people are tested each month at one of the centres at Bophelong Clinic," according to centre coordinator, Sylvia Ntsimane.
The MEC for Health commended Yfm DJ Khabzela and theatre playwright and director Gibson Kente for publicly announcing they were HIV positive, and helping to reduce the stigma of HIV/Aids.
Members of the Ivory Park community were also doing their best to change attitudes towards HIV/Aids.
In 1998 Jossanda Tsoai discovered she was HIV positive. Since then she had decided to live positively, starting local support groups for people living with the disease, and concentrating on Aids orphans. "Aids is not the problem, the problem is our attitude," Tsoai said.
Rand Water's HIV/Aids project manager, Nzwaki Maguga, agreed. Secrecy and denial was what killed people, she said. HIV/Aids was not an isolated problem affecting only individuals, but was one that concerned the wider community, including business.
